Comments Off on World’s largest commercial rooftop solar array is on a shopping mall in the Philippines

A shopping mall in the Philippines now boasts the world’s largest commercial rooftop solar array , which generates 2.9 MW of clean energy to help run the mall’s operations. The project is also the biggest private solar power system designed for self-consumption in the country. The Philippines-based property developer behind the venture, Robinsons Land, has plans to add rooftop solar panels to its other retail centers, for a total of 12.5 MW by the end of this year. The 2.9 MW solar array was switched on this month atop Robinsons Starmills shopping mall in San Fernando, in the province of Pampanga. It is the latest in a series of solar projects backed by the Robinsons Land company, which announced in March a lineup of six currently on deck – they are were targeted for completion by May. Two others are expected to be up and running by the end of this year. The company switched on at least two other solar plants on mall properties in 2015, and each project is bigger than the one before. Related: 1 Liter of Light project illuminates thousands of Filipino homes with recycled bottles In total, the developer is aiming for 12.5 MW solar power capacity across 10 solar plants, all located on the rooftops of shopping malls. The company said in a release that those 10 plants combined will generate almost 16 million kW/h of clean energy , saving 8,760 tons of CO2 emissions each year. According to the developer, that is equivalent to planting 223,965 full grown trees. By the end of this year, Robinsons Land promises the plants will, together, generate around 30 percent of the energy needed to run those shopping malls. The developer eventually plans to install solar power arrays on the rooftops of all of its 41 malls, although the timeline for that expansion hasn’t been released. Via PV Magazine Images via Robinsons Land and Wikipedia

Comments Off on Bangkok’s Siam Discovery retail center gets a major redesign from Japanese firm nendo

The previous design of the retail center , with its deep layout and narrow entry, created problems for the traffic flow of pedestrians, which is one thing a shopping center does not want. The architecture and design firm was called in to help, with the new design addressesing the previous issues by extending the circular atriums throughout and creating a canyon-like path stretching nearly 200 feet to the back of the building. Related: Nendo’s Trace collection of cabinets and lights look like drawings come to life Along one side of the atrium, a series of 220 frame-shaped boxes hold video monitors, digital signs, and displays of merchandise, which together create a unique and innovative ‘directory’ of sorts for the five-story department store. The design team at nendo devised a double-skinned facade to protect the interior from the sun, creating a tranquil shopping experience. The patterns on the facade echo the “stacked box” installation in the atrium. The overall theme for the interior design is unusual for a retail center. The designers call it a “Lifestyle Laboratory,” using motifs in 13 locations around the sales floor featuring laboratory equipment such as beakers, flasks, and test tubes, as well as diagrams of molecular structures, nucleotide DNA sequences, microscopes, and amoeba. Despite the sanitized air of the lab schema, the space maintains a relaxing feel which just might inspire visitors to spend a little more money than they intended. + nendo Images via Takumi Ota

A new study backed by the U.S. government suggests a new link between cell phone use and cancer . The National Toxicology Program ’s study is still incomplete at this time, yet partial findings reveal a relationship between specific radio frequencies and tumor growth in male laboratory rats. At the very least, we can no longer say there is no risk at all in using cell phones . The way some publications are reporting the news, you would expect to have a grapefruit-sized tumor growing in your skull this very moment, but the preliminary findings are a bit more complicated. The $25 million study , overseen by the National Institutes of Health , found “low incidences” of gliomas in brain glial cells and schwannomas in the hearts of some of the male rats used in the study; female rats did not yield a similar association. Related: World Heath Organization declares that cell phones may cause cancer The radio frequencies emitted from cell phones were reproduced in the rat experiments, raising concern for the same results possibly popping up in humans who use mobile devices. The partial findings warn, according to The Wall Street Journal , “Given the widespread global usage of mobile communications among users of all ages, even a very small increase in the incidence of disease resulting from exposure to [radio-frequency radiation] could have broad implications for public health.” Labeling cell phones as possibly carcinogenic is not a new thing, as the World Health Organization did so after reviewing similar epidemiological studies which revealed a cancer link. The NTP’s study, however, is the largest and most comprehensive experimental trial concerning cell phones and public health and may influence the Federal Communications Commission to alter their safety guidelines in the near future. The full results are expected to be released in the fall of 2017. Via The Wall Street Journal Images via Pexels ( 1 , 2 )